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This article's name is an unofficial translation from official Japanese media
and may not represent the canonical English name, if one exists.
An alternate name from an official source may be required.

The Shape of Happiness (幸せ の 形,Shiawase no Katachi?) is a recently rediscovered tankobon (collection) of comic stories based on Nintendo properties, released in March 1989. The ninth, tenth and eleventh stories in this anthology are based on the original Metroid. It was never officially released in English. The comics were drawn by Tamakichi Sakura, who later authored the Super Mario World comics in Nintendo Power. The Metroid Database, a Metroid fansite with a history of translating Japanese Metroid manga, released a scanned and translated version on October 18th, 2015.[1][2] The stories are a humorous take on the original Metroid, and star Samus Aran as the protagonist.

Contents

This comic shows Samus receiving her mission orders. Characters include an armadillo-like pet of Samus's called Mari Yoshimura #2, a Police-Man, and a green-skinned humanoid alien, who is the official that gives Samus her orders.

Samus is asked to leave for Zebes the next day, and destroy Mother Brain. The official promises to reward Samus with money, but she appears unmoved. He raises his offer to include the Famicom disks for Angel Land and The Adventure of Link (tentative titles for Kid Icarus and Zelda II), but collapses in a fit of frustration when she still has no reaction. Having accepted the offer, Samus checks into Hotel New Galaxy and receives room service. However, the bellboy delivering her drink turns out to be a Metroid in disguise, and brandishes a knife. Mari Yoshimura #2 lunges at the Metroid, but is mortally wounded. Samus kills the Metroid and mourns Mari, vowing revenge on Mother Brain.

Live on ZBS World News, Samus asks whether she would die if the entire audience, consisting of Geemers, attacked her at once. She flees, wondering why she neglected to bring items to Zebes. She reads a guide by Gascon Kanaya (a famous Japanese strategy guide author) and proceeds with her mission.

Samus wonders if there is a single room where she can find enough power-ups. She follows a group of enemies into the Employee Cafeteria and finds a group of living Chozo Statues, as well as living energy and missile tanks who are all enjoying their lunch break. Samus takes all of their items, which gives her enough power to begin pursuing Kraid and Ridley, the two minibosses who she must kill to access Tourian. Finding the elevator to Brinstar, Samus encounters a beautiful lizard woman, who turns out to be Mini-Kraid in disguise. Samus kills him, before deducing that he was not the real Kraid. Mini-Kraid was wearing a shirt saying "Fake Boss".

Samus attaches a note to Mini-Kraid's shirt reading "Real", which changes the shirt to say "Real Boss". Samus considers Kraid defeated, and so begins to explore Norfair in search of Ridley, who is spending a lot of time working out and bulking up in preparation for her. However, Samus becomes lost, and takes so long to find Ridley that he eventually dies of old age, surrounded by his grandchildren.

Entering Tourian, Samus is immediately attacked by a Metroid. She freezes it using her Ice Beam and uses it as a disguise to get further into Tourian. While disguised, she encounters a surly Metroid who warns her that she had better not hog all of Samus' energy for herself. After a while, Samus' Metroid disguise breaks free from the ice and begins to siphon her energy. The surly Metroid from before notices, and is enraged that the Metroid draining Samus ignored his warning. In the ensuing scuffle, Samus escapes and enters the Zebesian Command Center. However, instead of Mother Brain she finds the head of Gascon Kanaya. Wanting to keep the game's true ending a secret, he refuses to draw it further and pretends to be Mother Brain so Samus can kill him.